The new NGO called Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center will deal with development of election system and education of the democratic values.

On December 1, the founders and members of the revoked Election Monitoring Center established a new NGO. The new NGO, called Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDS), will assist conduct of free and fair elections in Azerbaijan, participation of citizens in state governing, development of civil society and democracy.

Bashir Suleymanli, co-founder of the EMDS stated that after revocation of EMC’s registration on May 14 by the decision of the Khatai Courton the illegal claim of the Ministry of Justice it has become more difficult for them to operate as a citizen group. “Although we have filed complaints to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, EMC’s registration has not been restored yet. On the contrary, there were pressures on the former volunteers of the organization although they had been registered as individual citizens during the October 15, 2008 Presidential Elections. The former volunteers of the organization were threatened by the representatives of executive authorities in Baku, Khachmaz, Jalilabad, Aghcabedi and Goycahy. At the same time EMC’s internet websites – www.emc-az.org and www.smm-az.org have been blocked in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan”.

Suliddin Asgarov, another founder of the EMDS informed that they had already prepared appeal to the Ministry of Justice for the registration of the newly established NGO.

Anar Mammadli, who has been Executive Director of the Election Monitoring Center said that he will be represented in the new NGO and in parallel will try to restore EMC’s registration in higher level courts.

Reminding you of the fact that, just 3 months before the October 15, 2008 Presidential Elections (May 14, 2008), Khatai District Court annulled registration of the Election Monitoring Center which is the most experienced and nonpartisan election monitoring organization in Azerbaijan on the claim of the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice's appeal consisted of the following claims:

a) EMC's founders are either misstated or ambiguous in the registration application; b) EMC did not notify the Ministry of Justice when EMC changed its legal address; c) EMC did not notify the Ministry of Justice about its eight local offices

However, the representatives of the EMC consider the claims of the Ministry of Justice unreasonable and illegal to annul registration of any NGO. Independent lawyers in Azerbaijan regard this case violation of freedom of assembly of citizens and discrimination towards domestic observation groups.